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Portland Oregon: Top Ten Reasons to Live (or not live) There?

Heaven help me, I'm thinking of moving to Portland, OR! I have already begun to research the area; however, having never been there before I have several questions.

1. What do you love most about living (or visiting) there?
2. What do you like least about the Portland area?
3. What kind of a feel/vibe does Portland have?
4. What are the current best job markets?
5. What "sealed" your decision to move there? (Scarlett?)
6. Does the NW Film Center have a good reputation?
7. What are the best moderately priced/middle-class suburbs to live in near Portland?
8. What would you like to share that I haven't asked about?

Obviously, I will be spending time in the area before making a final decision. In the meantime, I welcome any and all information you're willing to impart about this fantastic sounding region.

Thanks to all for your help and support during this difficult decision.

Has all my gushing and exclaiming about how great Portland is, had anything to do with this decision?
Is this because we are moving there too? LOL

What do you love most about living (or visiting) there?
Our visit was for 10 days, with not one day of rain. We walked everywhere, the people are friendly, the city is "manageable" and we were charmed by the way it is so "useable" .. they planned this city for people to enjoy and get around in.
2. What do you like least about the Portland area?
I am too ignorant of the city yet to have an opinion. (except it is damned far to drive to from Florida!)
3. What kind of a feel/vibe does Portland have?
Young, people seem interested in making their city work for them and for people to visit and like it. They have a good start on having a good museum, concert and dance venues, night life is good, artists like it there..
4. What are the current best job markets?
NA
5. What "sealed" your decision to move there? (Scarlett?)
We loved it when we visited in Sept, but after getting back to Fl, we sort of forgot about moving there, we started thinking of moving back North. But for this and that reason, Portland kept popping back up. Finally we decided on Portland for all the reasons I am stating here
Also, I have friends there and I think we might make more.
6. Does the NW Film Center have a good reputation?
Can't wait to find out.
7. What are the best moderately priced/middle-class suburbs to live in near Portland?
Still checking that out but we are looking in the NW part of town. Prices are amazingly good compared to where we came from (NY)
8. What would you like to share that I haven't asked about?
They seem to like dogs lol

2. The city- beautiful! Lots of old buildings that are appreciated for their beauty.

3. The food- wonderful eating town with fancy places, casual places, and wonderful little hole in the wall eateries everywhere! And prices are very reasonable compared to other cities.

4. The size- Portland is very compact. You can bicycle everywhere if you are so inclined.

5. The activities- Lots of walking, hiking and outdoor sports. Plus, youre an hour to the mountains or an hour or so to the coast.

6. The arts- lots and lots of both traditional and alternative stuff going on. Also lots of colleges and universities with their attractions

8. The neighborhoods- There are so many cute neighborhoods. Each one is a fully contained vllage, unlike many cities where you need to "go" places in your car to survive.

8. The crime rate- low for a city this size.

9. The transportation- good bus and rail system. Free in the downtown area.

10. The shopping- lots of it, and no sales tax on anything!

11. The flora- absolutely beautiful in the spring, summer, and fall.

12. The homes- I just love the big old houses! And the modern condos in the Pearl district! and the old brick apartments around NW 23rd!

Top 2 reasons agalinst living there:

1. The rain (drizzle, really) and dark skies of winter seem to go on forever!

2. Their economy is having some problems since a lot of the high tech companies left. Taxes, services, and schools may take a big adjustment.

I would seriously consider living there if I didn't live in Hawaii and have a husband who loves surfing all year! So, I visit a lot instead!

Oh, moderately price neighborhoods: I like the areas around SE 26th & Clinton and the area surrounding SE35th and Hawthorne. I love Ladd's Addition, Laurelhurst, & West Hills but are a bit more pricey.

1. It's a beautiful city, with lots of trees, water, Mt. Hood on clear days.
2. It's a manageable size - not too big, not too small.
3. The climate is mild - the summers are fabulous and the winters are actually not too bad.
4. It's close to other natural wonders - the Columbia Gorge, skiing on Mt. Hood, the beach.
5. Lots of great restaurants.
6. Lots of movie theatres, including some that serve beer and pizza.
7. Great beer.

What do I like least? Well, probably the fact that PDX is not a major hub for any airline so it's hard to get great discount airfares (but JetBlue recently started limited service from PDX to NYC, so maybe that will change!)

Vibe? Liberal, outdoorsy, a bit offbeat.

Why did I move here? I'm a native Oregonian, grew up in Salem, college in Monmouth and Eugene. Portland was the logical choice.

Can't really answer your question about the 'burbs, except to say housing prices are ridiculously high throughout the Portland metro area.

My friend who now lives in Beaverton (just outside town) was visiting back in NYC recently. He said the most difficult thing to get used to was "the gray" not so much the rain. He likes it now very much.

I love Portland! We've visited twice in the summer and seriously considered moving there as well.

I read a book called Greater Portland that describes the city well - it's attitude, philosophy, etc. I do think I'd fit right in. And the surrounding areas are totally beautiful; plus there's such diversity - mountains, waterfalls, rugged coastline, forests.

Someone suggested to me that we spend a week there - not in the summer, but in the middle of the winter. They told me the summers are glorious, but it's not like that for most of the year. They said the constant grey, drizzle, and going for days without seeing the sun can be very trying. I truly do not know if I could deal with that.

Like least - more extreme weather than Seattle. Free advice: Anyone planning to move to the Pacific NW should make a point of coming for at least two weeks in January or February. Also, in the case of Portland (more than Seattle or some other areas) it can get hot as h3ll in summer; plus in winter the wind coming down the Gorge can deliver dandy ice storms in Portland that pretty much paralyze the place for several days at a time.

Feel/vibe: Loose, tending to smug.

Job markets: Service sector, real estate broker.

Sealed my decision - had the chance to move to PDX with work in the 70s. Picked Seattle instead, so NA.

Moderately priced suburbs? You must be joking. Look east, north. Note no sales tax in Oregon, no income tax in Washington, so many people live in WA and commute. There are some nice areas in Vancouver (WA) and points east. But lots of nice neighborhoods in the city, albeit some becoming less affordable as the days pass. Consider the price of fuel and car costs v. in-city living when you do the budgets.

I would live in Portland in a heartbeat- but live south in Eugene- and stay here because feel locked into job - and dont want to start over- but visit Portland often and love it because of all the previously mentioned reasons.

The grey and gloomy weather doesnt really start getting to me until about May June- when frequently we are still wearing our winter clothes while the rest of the country is enjoying summer.

However, once summer hits - its fabulous and so much to do in the whole area.

Also remember - when it is grey and gloomy in the valley - if you just hop in the car and drive to the mountains- its is frequently sunnier over there-
so thats what I do for a quick fix of sun in the winter -

And as soon as I retire- I will look for a condo in Portland - I hear real estate has increased 20% in the last year-

We lived in Portland 13 years and moved to the Seattle area about 3 year ago. We loved living in Portland, so here goes:
1. Scenic beauty. I loved the quality of the light. I loved the green hills and flowers. I loved living in the clouds (when it was sunny!). I loved seeing Mt. Hood pink in the morning light. I loved the pride people took in the city and state and the care taken to preserve its beauty and liveability.
2. The economy was very limited and dependent on only a few industries. The tax structure is inadequate and education is not sufficiently supported. Other services have taken a beating also since the high tech bust. The State's ballot measure process is open to manipulation by a few individuals who care only about their personal wealth. Traffic is becoming a serious problem.
3. Warm and friendly. Funky. Individualistic. Outdoorsy. Not materialistic.
4. Have no idea. We moved because of limited work opportunities.
5. Moved there for work. Left there for work.
6. Have no idea.
7. We lived in Raleigh Hills and loved it. It's just west of the city with great access. There are lots of nice neighborhoods in the city, too.
8. The grey skies and seemingly endless dark mist can get dreary in winter and many people look forward to leaving for sunnier climes one day.

I forgot one!!
It is only 9 hours to Japan from PDX instead of 17 from Fl

Gloom....you don't have to shovel gloom, gloom does not blow the roof off of your house or a tree on top of it. They do not have Gloom Warnings or Watches.
My husband will not be late getting to an appt because of the severe gloom falling.

In spite of having lived in the area most of my life, I have trouble answering questions 1 & 2. But, others here have captured most of what I probably would say.

As usual, Gardyloo hits the nail on the head with 3. with "smug". Portland used to have an inferiority issue with Seattle. Today it feels like we're San Francisco wannabes.

4. Back in the days, it was The Silicon Forest. It's still Intel today, but except for residential real estate, there isn't much robustness in any economic sector. Go figure!

7. What do you consider suburban? The "Homes" section of yesterday's Oregonian featured a new upper-middle-class 18 home development in Wilsonville, south of the city. 3400 - 4500 sf homes, 9000 - 23000 sf lots, $600K - $830K prices. Annual property taxes for the least expensive are probably about $7000. I'm still trying to figure out who's buying those places.

8. The flip side of the loose, liberal vibe is an unfriendly business climate. Companies small in size to Columbia Sportswear are moving out of the city in droves. The result is lots of nice buildings downtown with nobody in them.

Thanks to all for your well thought out responses. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to be so informative.

Scarlett: I wish I could say all your "gushing" was responsible for my giving this serious consideration; however, it was actually a friend of mine who is interested in the "movie" scene there who started me thinking about it. Keep on gushing though, it's definitely swaying me! (Loved the "gloom" comments, too.)

ICUY: Thanks for the in-depth picture you've painted.

pdxgirl: Thanks for the info on travel to and from. I love to travel and what you've said makes a difference.

karens: Thanks for the book info and weather warning.

Gardyloo: Thanks for the "free advice" (since I wouldn't be moving for almost a year, I think I will take it and visit next Jan/Feb), interesting "vibe" comments (smug is one hell of a description!), and the reality check on real estate. Thanks also for the info on the film scene in the PNW.

Sunbum1944: Thanks for the "take" by someone who lives close by and covets the thought of living there. Also for the detailed "length of winter" description. It's snowing here today in Colorado, so I believe I can deal with that aspect of it.

Orcas: Thanks for the detailed economic info as well as providing a feel for the area.

Beachbum: Thanks for further info on the economy and business climate. I don't really know what I mean by "surburban" other than I wasn't sure how close to Portland I'd actually be able to afford to live.

Just this, from a Portland fan: If Portland is smug, it has a reason to be. Rarely have I been in a city that has such an atmosphere of having done things the right way for its inhabitants, while not being afraid to think outside the box. Portland's civic spaces, its public art, its vibrant downtown, its interesting neighborhoods -- all strike me as an impressive package. If I didn't have roots sunk halfway to China where I now live, Portland would certainly be on my short list of places to live.

We live in a SW Suburb, so I will chime in. The responses so far though have described the area pretty well. I was born and raised in OR, then after college dh and I moved all over the country with the military. He retired last year and were thrilled to move back here. We were in Seattle (where dh was raised) before that.

1--Family nearby and mountains for hiking and climbing.

2--Portland is very liberal, and we are fairly conservative. It has never been an issue though. We respect other points of view and other people seem to do the same. Believe it or not, the only other negative for us is that it rains less than Seattle. Yes, I LOVE the rain. Wierd, I know.

3--Funky is how I have always described Portland.

4--Jobs is a tough one to answer. My dh is an engineer and we moved from Seattle to here for the job. Agree with Beachbum about businesses leaving in droves.

5--Not sure how to answer this one. Basically we love the area so much that dh took a first job that was not quite right just to get us moved here, then he found a job that was a much better fit. For us it was the right thing to do.

6--I have no idea, but a filmmaker friend from Seattle comes down often and stays with us while he shoots here.

7--Moderately priced...hmmm, not sure there is anything, lol!

After living in so many other places, dh and I wanted to stay in the PNW. Since he was based in Seattle, he retired when he did, before taking new orders, just so we could stay in the general area. We did not want to risk being stationed somewhere far away since it would have been harder for him to explore his job hunt here.

Proximity to city center is only one housing-cost driver, Al. Metro area counties have created urban growth boundaries to contain development, promote density, planning, and prevent sprawl. Good idea, but one result is pockets of new homes popping up wherever land's available, sometimes in the middle of, or abutting long established neighborhoods.

The median home price is around $225K, but I'd guess most activity is between $325K and $450K. You can find decent middle-class homes in that range within a couple miles of city center or 20+ miles west, in Hillsboro. Hillsboro is the west side terminus of mass transit. I'd call anything further out rural.

For a bit of a different perspective, I'm a native Oregonian that got sidetracked in Utah for 10 years and just returned to the beautiful PNW a year ago.

My goal was to live in Portland because I love the vibe and all that it has to offer. However, I simply cannot afford to. Because my job sends me all over the state of Oregon, I selected Salem as my homebase instead. More affordable for me, and still with easy access to Portland (because I am there frequently). It was important to me that rather than be caught in suburbia, I live in another distinct city with it's own historical features (albeit one with a different vibe). Do I still want to live in Portland? You bet! But I've also found many pluses to living in Salem, such as closer access to Eugene and Bend.

The tax issues raised earlier are worth investigating. Moving back from Utah, I gave up sales tax, but gained a 2% increase in income tax and greater state taxes.

Prides its "openness and diversity", yet is probably the most homogeneous large city in the country with a not-so-stellar track record in the segregated black neighborhoods.

The farther you get from the center of town, the trashier it gets - real quick.

Relatively affordable (for the west coast), but probably over priced for the local economy.

Good "family" town, with plenty o' stuff for the kiddies year round.

And possibly the worst part--- The tweakers!!!
As a recent transplant from San Diego (the former speed capital of the country 20 years ago), the most disturbing thing to me are the nightly news stories of methamphetamine lab busts and abused crank (not crack!) babies. I thought crystal meth came and went in the eighties, but unfortunately it's alive and well in Oregon.

Actually Oregon's growth management laws have turned out to be more hat than cattle. Yes, there were lines drawn on maps that supposedly were to control sprawl, or, more specifically, to reduce conversion of agricultural/resource land to residential/commercial use. However, the combined pressure of population growth and economic growth are powerful influences and many of those lines have got fudged, moved, amended, or otherwise gotten around. Today the Portland metro area is not very different looking than many other US cities IMO (speaking as one who works in the housing, planning and regional development field m'self.)

Portland's walkable downtown is a reflection of the city's age (it's considerably older than Seattle, for example.) The blocks in central Portland are around 20-40 feet shorter than in other cities, the effect of which is to make for more buildings with less interior (windowless) space, and more variety at street level for pedestrians, rather than long unadorned facades of office buildings. There was a lot of influence on Portland in the 19th Century from New Englanders (like, the name?) and if you walk around Portland and Boston you'll see some similarities.

Portland's downtown amenity is more the result of planning decisions made long ago, coupled with today's reasonable economic prosperity. Some present-day planners like to take credit for such things, but they ought to know better.

Gardyloo, there is a lot recent planners have done. The 23rd St. area has strict requirements that include having shops on the street level (No big walls to pass by). Rules stepping up buildings from the river so the view of Mt. Hood is minimally obstructed were passed after some bank stuck a building in the way of the view. Recent planners deserve a lot of credit!
And, even if there is the look of suburban sprawl in places, Oregon, out- side of the city, has been largely spared, so the towns are more compact, and the countryside more bucolic, like in Europe. You can really tell the value of the land use laws when you are out in the farm country.
Alas, one of those deceptive ballot measures passed in the last election that may bring Oregon down to the level of other states, and allow willy-nilly development. The courts have a lot of interpreting to do before the story is told, but Oregon's lovely scenery may soon be spotted with development.

Just a note to thank you Al for posting this thread.
I am copying it to show to my husband who has gotten excited about this move (finally) but any amount of Positive imput is a Good Thing..

What did I love most about Portland?
1-The Japanese Gardens
2- that clean quiet Max
3- The sight of Haystack Rock for the first time.
4- The worlds tallest or is it oldest Pine Tree
5- When we went to see a performance of the Taiko Drummers and the people came out on the stage before and talked to the audience.
6- The Taiko Drummers
7- the young man that works at the Red Starr Restaurant at the 5th Ave Suites, who moved to Portland alone, from Canada, and works waiting tables for money to be able to be an artist..he sent us photos of his paintings that he did after his trip to Africa that will be in a show this summer in Portland.

Yes, that is the one!! I have a picture of it I am standing at the base. The photo makes it look like a normal tree with a reeeally short person standing in front of it LOL
Spruce, yes, a nice Christmas tree

It's a Sitka Spruce.
We lived in Eugene and then the Portland, OR, area for a decade before moving to Europe (Belgium, Germany and now the UK). If (or when) we move back to the U.S., the Portland area is one of the few places we'd choose to call home.
First, the weather. The bad news about Portland's weather, like Mark Twain's death, tends to be greatly exaggerated. Compared to what much of the Rocky Mountain states, the Midwest and Northeast go through every winter, the Portland/Vancouver winters are mild as milk. Yes, they get the *occasional* ice storm (but a darn few less than we got in Philadelphia or the Lehigh Valley), but it tends to affect the higher elevations and usually is gone within a couple of days (the 4-day ice storm of 1998 was a rarity). It's not uncommon for it to reach the 60s in the middle of winter. I telecommuted full time from Oregon to a job outside Philadelphia--there were many balmy winter days when I would call in to the office and get the recording "we're sorry, xxx is closed today due to a winter storm." While my colleagues were shoveling snow, I was jumping inthe T-bird to race down to my favorite cafe on NW 23rd--and able to sit OUTSIDE. Sure it's drizzly and overcast a lot of winter days--but it's great for your skin. Like a walking facial. It's no more overcast than it was in Syracuse, NY (where it can start snowing in October and keep right on snowing til late April), or here in the greater London area.
When we first moved to Oregon, all our East Coast friends warned us about the lousy weather. Then we got to Eugene and had six weeks of nonstop sunshine with glorious warm days and cool nights. Summers in Oregon are outstanding. It can get surprisingly hot in Portland, esp. on the east side towards the Gorge, but it usually cools off enough at night to sleep without air conditioning and you can always drive to the coast on a really scorching day (i.e., when it was 105 degrees in Vancouver, WA, it was 82 degrees at Cannon Beach).
Stuff we loved: Oregon is *generally* far less materialistic than many places. Eugene especially. There are some fancy mansions dotted around now, esp. up in the southeast hills, but it's still not a place to show off your wealth. Ditto for Portland, to a lesser degree.
The natural beauty of the area combined with a wonderfully "humane" city--one where pedestrians still count as much as cars. Seattle may have the better setting, but Portland has a better laid out city.
Housing prices. Yeah, they've gone up a lot, but they're still not that bad, once you move beyond the most desirable neighborhoods. I know many Portlanders look down on Vancouver (WA), but we really liked living in the Bella Vista section of Cascade Park. I rode my bike (down a WIDE bike lane) on McGillivray to the grocery store, the coffee stand, Elmer's (for Sunday breakfast), and to some pretty neighborhood parks where I felt perfectly safe on my own even late at night. At any rate, the disconnect between salaries and housing prices in Oregon doesn't even come CLOSE to the gap between wages/salaries and real estate in and around London.
The food. Portlanders can take for granted great Japanese restaurants that other cities would die for. Great coffee bars. Great salmon. Delicious summer fruit. Good wine. It is possible to eat local for a good part of the year.
The passion for the environment. The state's liberals and conservatives (and there are plenty of "red" areas around Portland, like Wilsonville) may disagree about how best to manage/care for the environment, but at least both sides take it seriously. Coming from Philly, it was nice to see salmon debates take the front page instead of the latest mob hit or drive by shooting.
The whole work/life balance.
Stuff we didn't like:
Native Oregonian pretentiousness, especially from mere second generation Oregonians, *some* of whom really did exude smugness. My family came to Pennsylvania more than 250 years ago, but I didn't swan around lording it over newcomers because I was a "native Pennsylvanian." When President Clinton was in town for the timber summit, I was quoted in Willamette Week as saying he could solve the timber crisis in a minute if he got all the so-called Native Oregonians to pull the old growth sticks out of their butts. I still feel that way.
Housing design. Overall, I liked the houses very much, but there was (and is) a tendency for builders to stick these large plate glass windows that you can't open in the living room. In houses with no air conditioning. For crying out loud, why? When we lived (briefly) in Washougal, we had floor to ceiling south facing windows in the living room, none of which could be opened. In the height of summer, the living room temps reached 115 degrees and stayed above 100 for hours; the room was unusable.
The job market. It's true, it's not diversified enough. We have some very good friends who are talented, smart IT professionals who lost their jobs and despite updating their skills (or "skill sets" in HR speak) are still pushing chrome at Costco. If you're a health care professional, the welcome mats will be rolled out; otherwise it's a tough hunt for a good paying full time job with benefits.

One last note: if you don't need to commute to Portland for work, McMinnville is a lovely area. My inlaws recently moved there and say it's their favorite place in the Pacific NW to live (previously, they lived in a waterview condo on First Ave near Pike Place Market in Seattle, then Sequim in the OP and then Bellingham).

Oh, and I will never say "tennies" when I mean "sneakers." NEVER, I tell you!

Holy Smokes! I couldn't have asked for better information--you people are truly wonderful and amazing.

In addition to the people I thanked earlier in this thread, I would also like to thank the following for their input: Marilyn, mms, kk, bardo1, Carolyn and Btilke. And thanks again to Gardyloo and Orcas for the extremely interesting and informative discussion on zoning, planning, history and architecture: It really helps me to get a feel for what's going on.

"I thought crystal meth came and went in the eighties, but unfortunately it's alive and well in Oregon."

Hate to break it to you, but meth is alive and well in many parts of the US. The local news last night said Washington State had almost twice as many meth labs as Oregon and a couple of midwest states (I think Missouri and Iowa but not sure) had about 4 times as many. I'm not saying we don't have a problem here, but I am saying it's not any worse here than in many other states.

Have your ruled out the Seattle area? It is a lot more expensive than Portland, but is a lot bigger city with a lot more going on. I think Portland is more family friendly, but since you don't have kids at home, you might want to consider Seattle, too.

I must admit to loving Seattle; however, the fact that it is quite "spendy" (sorry, couldn't resist!) is one of several reasons I have pretty much ruled it out. Of course I have been to Seattle a few times and never been to Portland, so I am reserving my final decision until I get there later this year (and then, perhaps, return in Jan/Feb as Gardyloo suggested.

Other factors influencing this decision include the fact that my producing/directing/writing partner will be moving to the same area as myself, so we needed to pick an area that both he, his wife and myself all liked, on several different levels. This is also why we are very interested in the film scene up there.

Thanks again for your input and suggestions. Feel free to comment further!

Al !!
There was just a segment on CNBC about the real estate market in Portland!
It is doing just fine, regardless of the loss of the .com money, they are getting more people moving in every month!
We have to get this house sold and get there already!!
I am sure it will be on again or look on CNBC.com and try to watch it

In the meantime, I have a favor to ask: Since you're going to get there first, would you be so kind as to put a down payment on a place for me? Doesn't have to be anything extravagant--3000 sq. ft.--near downtown--should do nicely!.

It's a chance for you to demonstrate some of that famous "Southern Hospitality" I've heard so much about.

I've heard there are some serious problems with the urban growth boundaries.

1. It really limits new housing, which sends prices soaring. Getting your first house is supposed to be becoming impossible for many people.

2. New commercial/retail development is largely limited to small shops near the train stations. This doesn't reflect the reality of the way people shop in the US. Some are predicting that in 10 years, you'll have lines of people waiting to get into the few "big box" stores, while all of these small shops sit empty.

3. In the quest to preserve open land outside of the boundary, open land inside is being developed at a quick pace, such as golf courses and parks. So if you want open space, you're going to need to travel to get it.

Also, what's up with gas stations? People in 48 other states are perfectly capable of pumping their own gas.

There's a lot written on the urban growth boundary contesting some of your assertions. As to prices, not having an urban growth boundary hasn't kept prices down in Seattle, believe you, me! Some studies assert the increase in housing costs in Portland is attributable to other causes and you will find similar increases in a lot of other cities across the nation.

As for gas, there was a ballot measure on that one and the voters decided they want service in a gas station. Again, gas is more expensive across the border in Washington (at least in our area of Seattle!)and we have to pump it ourselves. I love it when I go to Oregon and I can sit in my car while someone else pumps my gas!

Open space - go to Forest Park in Portland, which claims to be the largest urban park in the US.

Don't know what small shop development around train stations has to do with the urban growth boundary....Sounds like a good concept, though.

I haven't noticed new shops opening around train stations, as those spots seem to be fully occupied. I have noticed lots of smaller shops, New Seasons type markets, and restaurants opening everywhere else...out on Alberta, on Hawthorne, on Division, on Sandy, etc.

Thats one of the things I love about Portland...lots of small places in the neighborhoods, not just in malls or commercial districts. Friends who have bought real estate chose homes in areas because they had grocery stores and dining spots within walking distance, unlike Honolulu where the commercial districts are large (and separated) and considered an undesireable neighbor.

Prices are no highter than lots of other west coast cities such as San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco that have no boundaries.

I think eventually the density will increase, perhaps driving prices down. Unless of course the the desirability keeps increasing despite more housing units in the city.

If you can find a copy of today's (4 May) Wall Street Journal there's an interesting article in the "Property" section on Portland - real estate values, unemployment, and the impact Measure 37 will have (negative, duh) on Oregon's growth management legislation. Worth finding if you can.

Couple points:
1. New shops around train stations probably means along MAX line stops, something city government has long used to try and sell mass transit. Nothing to do with Urban Growth Boundary.
2. UGB has served to artificially drive prices. Developers have no place to go. Relates to other comments in this thread about housing prices in excess of economic support. A long-time complaint of locals is that out-of-staters with huge home equities (usually Californicators) move in and drive prices beyond what economy supports.
3. Measure 37: yeah, probably not a good thing for planners. But, how would you feel if you purchased land 10 years ago to build your retirement home, and because of zoning changes couldn't do it. Objective of Measure 37 was to bring equity to those situations.
4. Personal opinion.. Somethings wrong when 80% of mortgages in the Pearl and south waterfront are interest only payments.